When Should You Start Learning A Third Language?

A reader named Denise recently wrote to me with a dilemma I hear all the time: when to start learning a third language.

She's from Brazil, she's still working on her English, and yet she's itching to start learning Italian.

Her worry is that it's too soon — that she shouldn't begin a third language before she's fluent in her second.

It's a brilliant question, and it touches something a lot of us wrestle with. So let me tell you exactly what I told Denise about when to start learning a third language, and why I think the answer might surprise you.

If you prefer watching videos to reading, hit play on the YouTube version of this post at the top of the page. Otherwise, here's what you'll discover in this post:

Do You Need To Be Fluent To Start A New Language?

Here's the short version of my answer to Denise: if you really, really want to learn Italian, then go for it. Seriously.

I know I've said before that it's not ideal to learn two languages at the same time — but honestly, who cares what I say?

When you've got that much passion for a language, sooner or later you just have to give in and admit, “Fine, I'm going to learn it.”

Waiting until you're “fluent enough” in your previous language is, in my experience, a trap. Fluency is a moving target, and if you hold off until you've ticked some imaginary box, you could be waiting years.

That passion you feel right now is the most valuable thing you have. Don't let an arbitrary rule — even one of mine — talk you out of acting on it.

Will A Third Language Hold Back Your Second One?

This is the fear that stops most people, so let me put it to rest. In Denise's case, her second language is English, and English happens to be the lingua franca of pretty much the entire world.

She's going to keep being exposed to it and keep improving whether she actively studies it or not. Adding Italian to the mix isn't going to stop her from maintaining it.

And from my own experience, a new language can actually help rather than hinder. Many years ago, I spent a month learning German, then started dabbling in Thai.

Neither was especially serious, but in many ways those little forays helped my Cantonese. They gave my brain a break and activated different parts of it.

So the idea that a new language will somehow drain progress from your existing one doesn't really hold up. More often, it keeps things fresh.

Why Your Third Language Is Easier Than Your First

There's some good news that learners often overlook. Your first foreign language is always the hardest.

The second is much easier, and the third easier still — because by then you've become a better language learner. You know how you learn, you recognise patterns faster and you waste less time floundering.

Denise has an extra advantage on top of that. Italian and Portuguese are very closely related, so as a native Portuguese speaker she's starting with a real head start.

She may well find Italian far easier than she expects, and a good deal easier than English was.

If your target language is a cousin of one you already speak, lean into that. The overlap in vocabulary and structure does a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

When To Start Learning A Third Language

So when is the right moment? My honest answer is: now. Learning a language takes time, so if it's one of your ambitions, there's no sense in postponing it.

You don't have to go crazy. You don't have to do three hours a day. You don't even have to start “seriously” for another couple of years. But you can put it on the map today.

Life is too short to keep a dream like this on the shelf. I'm as guilty as anyone of telling myself I shouldn't do this or shouldn't do that — until one day I think, screw it, I'm just going to do it.

If you spend even a couple of years now quietly chipping away at a language, time will do an enormous amount of the work for you. The best moment to begin is the moment the passion arrives.

How To Ease Into Your New Language

Starting now doesn't mean throwing yourself in at the deep end. What I'd suggest is doing just a little, often. Fifteen minutes a day is plenty to begin with.

Keep going with your main language — for Denise, that's English — and simply spend a small amount of time each day listening to and reading some basic material in your new one. No speaking yet, no heavy studying, no pressure.

Work your way gradually through a textbook, or read something gentle and story-based.

I'd suggest picking up my book of Italian Short Stories for beginners and seeing how much you can understand — I have a feeling it would be more than you think.

Over a few months of this light exposure, your brain starts noticing patterns and connections on its own. You build a genuine foundation almost without effort, and then, when you're ready to get going properly, you're not starting from zero at all.

When To Start Learning A Third Language FAQ

The Best Time Is Now

If there's one thing I want you to take from all this, it's that the question of when to start learning a third language has a simpler answer than you'd think.

You don't need to wait until your second language is perfect, you don't need to fear that a new language will sabotage the old one, and you certainly don't need permission.

A third language is usually easier than your first, especially if it's related to one you already speak, and the real secret is patience rather than intensity. Start small, stay consistent, and let time work in your favour.

Above all, follow the passion while you have it — because that enthusiasm is exactly what carries you through the long, slow, rewarding business of learning a language.

Vincent van Gogh once said he would rather die of passion than of boredom, and when it comes to languages I feel much the same. If you really, really want it, don't wait. Put it on the map today, and let the rest follow.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.